What Hurts the Most
by CherryCrush23
Summary: Nathan was her first love and her everything. When he's in a car accident and his life could end, all Haley wants to do is give up. Based off of What Hurts the Most by Rascal Flatts. One Shot


**Disclaimer: I don't own One Tree Hill or What Hurts the Most, it's by Rascal Flatts.**

**Ok so I got this idea for a one shot when I was talking to Kelly. I will warn you that if could be pretty sad but I can't wait to see what you guys think. This is based of the music video for What Hurts the Most.**

**What Hurts the Most**

_Haley sat in the front of Nathan's car. She leaned over to kiss him. Their lips met in a kiss full of love. She loved him more than anything and she knew he was the one. She heard a knocking on the passenger window. _

_She immediately pulled away from Nathan's lips and turned to face her father, Jimmy James standing by the window. She rolled down the window and looked at her dad, "hi daddy."_

"_Haley James, get out of the car." Haley rolled her eyes and opened the door. "Dad, don't, please."_

"_Go inside Haley."_

"_Dad-"_

"_Go inside Haley."_

_She looked back at Nathan with an apologetic look and walked up the stairs to the front door._

_Nathan watched Haley disappear inside the house and he looked back at Jimmy. "Nathan, do you know what time it is?"_

"_Yes sir."_

"_Good then you know that's it's 2:30. Nathan you know that I don't approve of Haley dating you. But if I can't stop her I would at least expect some respect from you."_

"_I didn't mean to disrespect you."_

"_Nathan I think that it would be best if you and Haley took some time apart from each other."_

"_With all do respect, you can't keep me from seeing her. I love her."_

"_Go home Nathan. Don't call Haley tomorrow."_

_Nathan was pissed. He didn't ever want to stop seeing Haley. He didn't care whether or not anyone approved. But maybe not being with Haley was really what was best for her. Nathan started his car again and pulled out of the driveway. _

Haley sat in her bedroom with her best friends Brooke Davis and Peyton Sawyer. "What happened last night?" Brooke asked.

"I don't know I mean my dad came outside and told me to leave, I don't really know what he said to Nathan."

Haley had been dating Nathan for 5 months and she loved him. Her dad didn't approve of them because he thought he was a bad influence. He wasn't though. People didn't see Nathan the way she did.

She saw a different part of him. With him she felt more alive than she ever had. "Oh that's not good," Peyton said.

Haley shook her head. She was worried about what her dad said to him.

There was a knock on her door and her parents walked in. "Brooke, Peyton we need to talk to Haley alone."

The two of them got off her bed and looked at her. Brooke shrugged and the two of them walked out of her room. Lydia James closed her daughters door and looked at her daughter.

"What?" Haley asked. She could see the look of worry on their faces. "What's wrong?"

"We just got a call from Karen Scott."

"So?"

Jimmy walked over to his daughter, "Haley, last night Nathan was in a very bad car accident." Haley didn't know what she was hearing. "His car flipped over on its side and he's unconscious. There is a very real chance he might never wake up."

Haley backed away from her dad and walked over to her dresser. Her back was facing her parents and she didn't want to look at them. She didn't believe them. She shook her head. "I don't believe you."

"Haley," Lydia said, "we're so sorry."

"No you're not! You don't care! You never wanted me to be with him, I don't believe that you're sorry! Don't tell me you're sorry!"

Haley looked at her father. He was leaning against the wall on the other side of her room. "You hated him!" she yelled pointing at him. "You never cared about him or my relationship with him!" She had tears streaming out of her eyes and she went over to her dad and began to pound on his chest. He grabbed her arms and caught her as she dropped to her knees. The two of them sat on the ground while she cried.

**I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house  
That don't bother me  
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out  
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while  
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me  
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok  
But that's not what gets me**

* * *

Haley laid in the dark in one of Nathan's old sweatshirts and a pair of jeans. Her door opened and light from the hall streamed into the room. She turned her head and saw Lucas standing in her doorway.

Not only was Lucas Nathan's brother, but he was her best friend. He walked over to her bed and sat down next to her. "Hey," he said in a weak voice. She didn't say anything back and turned her head away from him. "I've been at the hospital all day. Why don't come see him?"

"I can't," she said. Her voice was raspy from crying all day. She would have still been crying if all of her tears hadn't been spent that day. "If I go, it makes it to real. I can't go see him like that Luke. What if something happens to him, what if he doesn't wake up?"

"He will, he's a fighter."

"I can't lose him Lucas!" she sat up and he pulled her into a hug. She cried on to his chest and her tears soaked through the material of his shirt. "I love him Lucas."

"I know, I know you do."

* * *

_Haley and Nathan were laying on the hood of his car looking up at the clouds in the sky. He turned his head and looked at her. He smiled and his heart swelled with pride because he knew that that girl loved him. She turned her head and looked at him. "What?"_

"_I love you."_

"_I love you too Nathan. So much." She moved closer to him and kissed his lips tenderly. She pulled away and looked at him. She couldn't believe that Nathan Scott wanted to be with her. It seemed too good to be true._

_She'd known Nathan as long as she'd known Lucas. All her life. He'd always been her best friends brother but then something changed. She saw him as something more._

_There first date was perfect. He'd told her that he'd liked her since he was 12 and he never thought she liked him. He was just too sweet. There had to be a catch._

"_Do you ever think about your future?" she asked. He looked away from the sky and down at his girlfriend. "What do you mean?"_

"_Like do you think about what'll happen to us or what you think you'll be doing when you get out of college."_

"_Yeah I guess."_

"_And what do you see?"_

"_I see you." She smiled and kissed his lips. She looked down at the watch on his wrist and hopped off the hood of the car. "Hey," he said, "what about you? What do you see?"_

* * *

Today was the first day that Haley was going to school since his accident. She still hadn't been able to bring herself to go see him. She wanted to. She wanted to be able to talk to him and tell him how much she missed him and how much she needed him but she couldn't. It hurt to much.

She put on Nathan's black and green Nike sweatshirt. She was wearing her hair back in a ponytail and had on a pair of jeans with holes in the knees. She wore minimal make up and no jewelry. Except for the cracker jack bracelet Nathan had given her.

_Nathan and Haley sat at a table near the docks. Haley was looking out at the water. They had only just begun dating but she knew she liked him a lot. The sun was setting and the water sparkled. _

_Nathan looked at her and smiled. He couldn't help but smile whenever he looked at her. He'd always liked her and now she finally knew it. He didn't know how he went so long without being able to be near her or kiss her or tell her he loved her. She was his everything._

_She looked back at him and saw him staring. "Take a picture, it'll last longer," she joked. He smirked and picked up a box of cracker jacks. He ripped it open, "oh sweet, there's a prize."_

"_And you say I'm 5 years old."_

_He pulled it out and ripped the small package open. He pulled out a beaded multi color bracelet. She looked down at his hands, "nice a bracelet, pink is totally your color."_

"_Yeah I'll bet." He looked back up at her, "it's for you," he slipped the bracelet on her wrist. "Don't say I never gave you anything."_

She walked out of her room and down the stairs. Her mother and father were sitting in the kitchen. She didn't feel like talking to them. She didn't feel like talking to anyone. She walked past them and outside to her car.

She started it and began to drive down the street. She got to the place where Nathan's accident had been. There were still pieces of shattered glass on the road. She thought she would star to cry again. When she woke up she knew she had to drive past this and she didn't know if she was strong enough.

She pulled into the parking lot and saw Brooke, Lucas, Peyton and Jake along with Skills and Mouth. She got out of the car and walked over to them. "Hey Hales," Mouth said. She looked at him and gave him a half hearted smile. Brooke let go of Jake's hand and walked over to Haley. She put her arm around her shoulder and the two of them walked in the school.

**What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was tryin' to do**

Peyton stood at Lucas's locker waiting for him so they could go to class. "How have you been? You don't talk to me about it," she said. He closed his locker and looked at her. "It's too hard to talk about it Peyton. I don't mean to close you out but I just, I can't talk about it."

"I'm here if you need to talk about. I don't want you to feel like you can't."

"I know." He took her hand in his and they walked down the hall to their next class.

They walked in the room and saw Haley sitting in her usual seat. The only difference was the seat next to her was now empty. Brooke took her seat behind her and Peyton and Lucas sat on the other side of the room.

Their teacher was about to start attendance. "Brooke Davis?" she asked. Brooke raised her hand, "here." She went through the alphabet, "Lucas Scott?"

"Here."

"Nathan- oh, um."

Haley looked up from her desk and without a word stood up and walked out of the room. Lucas was about to stand up to follow her but Peyton beat him to it. She stood up and walked out of the class room.

Haley had walked into the bathroom and was sitting on the tile ground. Peyton walked in and saw her with tears in her eyes. She walked over to her slowly and sat down next to her. "Hey." Haley looked up at her and began to sob again. "How am I supposed to go see him if I can't even be here without him?"

"Haley, I know this is hard for you, and I can't even begin to imagine how I'd feel but I think you really should go see him."

"I can't! I can't see him like that! He could die Peyton!" Haley caught her breath, "I feel like I'm gonna be sick." She stood up quickly and went into the nearest stall.

**It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go  
But I'm doin' It  
It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone  
Still Harder  
Getting up, getting dressed, livin' with this regret  
But I know if I could do it over  
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart  
That I left unspoken  
**

By lunch Haley had already gone home, so had Lucas. It was too hard for them to be there without a reminder of Nathan.

Peyton sat at a table with Brooke, Jake, Skills and Mouth. "Have the doctors said anything about Nathan's condition?" Brooke asked. Peyton shook her head, "no, they said the only way they can move him our of the ICU is if he wakes up."

"I don't know how Lucas and Haley are dealing with all this."

"She's not. She's making herself sick over it."

Brooke shook her head, "I gotta go." She stood up without another word and made her way to the parking lot.

* * *

Brooke walked into the ICU. She hated hospitals. And with good reason. One of her best friends was there and no one knew if he was going to wake up. She went to the nurses station and saw a lady sitting in front a computer. "Excuse me," she said and the woman looked up at her, "which room is Nathan Scott in?"

The woman pointed to room behind her. She smiled, "thank you."

She walked in through the glass doors and saw Keith and Karen Scott sitting in chairs next to their son's bed. "Brooke?" Keith said when he saw her.

"How is he?"

"The same."

"Um, would you mind if I talked to him… for just a little bit? Please?"

Karen smiled, "of course, go ahead." She and Keith stood up and walked out of the room.

Brooke sat in the seat that had previously been occupied by Keith. She took Nathan's hand in hers. "Hey buddy." She was hoping for some movement from him but she didn't get any. "I'd ask you how you're doing but that seems like a pretty pointless question. I'm so sorry Nathan. You don't deserve any of this. Lucas is a mess right now. So is Haley."

She felt a bit of twitch of his hand at the mention of her name but she didn't know if she was imagining or not. "She feels so bad about what happened right before your accident. She's making her self sick over this. You have to wake up ok? Coz she needs to know that you're not mad at her."

She wiped a tear away from her eye and stood up. "I'll see ya soon," she kissed his forehead and walked out of the room.

**What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do**

* * *

_Nathan was driving down the street when he looked in the rear view mirror and saw Haley running after him. He stopped the car and got out. "Haley what are you doing?"_

"_What did he say to you?"_

"_Nothing."_

"_Don't lie to me, tell me what he said to you."_

"_He doesn't want me to see you. He's says I'm a bad influence on you. Maybe he's right."_

"_What?!"_

"_What if I'm not good enough for you, maybe, maybe we aren't such a good idea."_

"_I thought you loved me!"_

"_I do love you! But he's right, I'm not good enough for you. I have nothing to offer you Haley, I'm not good enough!"_

"_That's not true Nathan you are good enough! I don't need anything from you other than you, I love you Nathan."_

"_I love too Haley but, maybe we need to take some time."_

"_You're breaking up with me," she whispered. She didn't know what her dad had said to him but now he was breaking up with her. "I thought you said nothing could keep you from seeing me, I thought you loved me!"_

"_I do!"_

"_You know what, fine! I don't care! Just leave then!_

_He looked at her and he could see the pain in her eyes. He didn't want to have to leave her but he didn't feel good enough to be with her. The guy he used to be would have left her a long time ago but he loved her and he didn't want to be that guy with her. He felt like if he didn't leave her she would have left him._

_Haley walked back through the door and saw her dad and mom in the living room. "I told you to stay inside Haley," Jimmy said. She slammed the door shut and looked at him. "What did you say to him? He just broke up with me!"_

"_Haley you knew from the beginning that I didn't approve. He has a reputation and I didn't want any thing to happen to yours."_

"_Nothing would have! He loves me but you ruined it! I hate you."_

_She looked away from them and stomped up the stairs to her room. She walked through the door and slammed the door again._

_Nathan was driving down the road and he was sad and angry. He loved her and he missed her already. He wanted to be with her more than anything. He knew she was the girl for him whether anyone else though. He turned his car around and was about to drive back when he saw headlights coming at him from the side._

_The car hit the side of his car with force. His twirled in a circle until it stopped. A truck that was coming down the same road, fast, didn't have time to stop and hit his car again and Nathan's car was knocked over it's side. The driver's side window shattered and Nathan hit his head on the pavement._

**What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do**

* * *

Haley woke up the next morning in her dark bedroom as usual. She rolled over on her side and saw a picture on her bed side table. It was a picture of her and Nathan at the beach. They were sitting on the sand and she had her back against his chest. Brooke took the picture of them.

_Haley was walking with Nathan down the beach hand in hand. They had only been dating a couple of weeks but she was pretty sure she'd fallen in love with him. She was worried that he didn't feel the same way. He looked at her and noticed the worry on her face._

"_You ok?"_

"_Yeah, I'm just thinking about stuff."_

"_What are you thinking?"_

"_Nothing important."_

"_Well tell me anyway."_

"_I just worry that- why are you with me?"_

"_What?"_

"_I mean there's nothing special about me, I'm plain and I don't know why you're with me. I'm not pretty like Brooke or Peyton or the other girls at our school and I don't know why you're with me."_

"_No you're not pretty, you're gorgeous, you're beautiful, pretty doesn't even suit you. I'm with you because you make me laugh and smile and you're not afraid to be yourself. You know that I have flaws but you don't care. You see through those, you see me. I'm with you because, I'm with you because I'm in love with you Haley James. I think I've been in love with you for a long time, and that's why I'm with you. If you need to hear more, I can go on and on for as long as you like."_

_She smiled and kissed his lips tenderly. "You did pretty good. I love you too Nathan Scott."_

Haley changed into a black long sleeve t-shirt with a white short sleeve over it. She put on a pair of worn jeans and black and white converse. She left her hair down and put on mascara and blush.

She walked down stairs and out to her car. She took the drive to the hospital. It was going to be hard that was no secret. She parked her car in a parking spot and took a deep breath and stepped out of her car. She walked through the sliding glass doors and went to the ICU.

**Not seeing that loving you  
That's what I was trying to do**

She saw Karen in the hall and went over to her. "Karen?"

"Haley? Wow, I was wondering when you would come."

"I would have come sooner, it was just, too hard for me to see him like this. I'm so sorry." Karen pulled the younger girl into a hug, "it's ok Haley. You're here now, go see him."

Haley looked at the room that was his and walked through the doors. Lucas was sitting in one of the chairs. "Hey Luke," she said and he turned around, "can I have a minute with him?" Lucas nodded patted his brother on the shoulder before getting up and walking out of the room.

Haley sat down and looked at the broken boy in front of her. He had scratches on his face and a bandage on his forehead. Lucas had told her that he had a broken leg and a few broken ribs. She gently took his hand in hers and brushed her thumb over his scratched knuckles. "I'm sorry it took me so long," she said, her voice shaking.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean any of the things I said to you. The thing is, I was scared of not being with you. I'm still scared. I'm afraid you won't wake up and you'll think that I hated you or something, and I don't. I love you so much Nathan. So much it hurts. I've been crying for days now because I haven't been able to see you or talk to you. It hurts me to see you like this. I need you to wake up."

Brushed her lips against his cheek and looked at his face. "You know when I you asked me what I saw? Well I never answered you." She looked at his un moving body, "it was you. I saw you."

Tears fell from her eyes and she let go of his hand and rested her head against his chest while she cried. She felt something on the small of her back and looked up at his face. His eyes were slowly opening. "Nathan?"

"I'm glad you saw me."

**Please review and let me know what you think. This was my first one shot so I hope it was ok! Thanks!**


End file.
